April 22, 2025 • 10 mins
One of America’s most prolific female serial killers was Aileen Wuornos. She admitted to killing at least seven men before she was executed in 2002. Her life was depicted in the 2003 movie Monster. But how did the little girl, tormented by schoolmates as "the cigarette pig," become a monster?
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Her childhood wasn't hard, it was brutal, and it left
marks that not only didn't fade, they grew. Aileen Carol
Warnos was born on February twenty ninth, nineteen fifty six.
Leap year, leap day. Born literally on a day that
barely exists. That's sort of poetic in a grim way,
because for most of her life she was treated like
(00:21):
she didn't exist either. I'm Patty Steele. Does any of
that excuse her for becoming a prolific serial killer? That's
next on the backstory. We're back with the backstory. There's
no justifying what she did, but it is interesting to
hear her backstory. Aileen Warnos had a rough start in
(00:44):
life and it never got better. Her parents were kids themselves.
Her mom, Diane, was fourteen when she married Aileen's father, Leo,
who was eighteen. The marriage quickly fell apart. Within two years,
Diane was gone, abandoning Aileen, who was just six months old,
as well as her older brother Keith. Her father was
(01:04):
already out of the picture, doing time for the rape
of a child. Aileen never got a chance to meet him.
He hanged himself in prison before she turned fourteen. So
who raised her Her grandparents on her mom's side, Laurie
and Britta. But the word raised is kind of doing
some heavy lifting here. Laurie was a heavy drinking, controlling
(01:25):
guy with a cruel streak. Aileen said. Laurie beat her, regularly,
called her vile names, and emotionally just tore her apart
until she believed she was worthless. And then there's Grandma Britta,
also an alcoholic, she rarely protected Aileen or even bothered
to look up when she was being abused. Aileen later
(01:46):
claimed her grandfather and some of his friends sexually abused her.
The patterns clear. She learned early on that adults were
not to be trusted, that love could hurt, and that
home wasn't safe, and for her, the outside world was
no better. By the time she was just nine years old,
Eileen was trading sex for money, food and cigarettes. Kids
(02:08):
her own age made fun of her, boys used her,
her classmates called her cigarette pig, and adults they simply
ignored her. From the time she was a small girl,
Aileen was already surviving instead of living. This traumatized child
was already adapting to a world where being exploited was
part of the game. Her body was her only bargaining chip. Then,
(02:32):
at fourteen, she got pregnant. The father was a much
older family friend who had raped her. Her grandparents sent
her away to a home for unwed mothers in Detroit,
and in nineteen seventy one she gave birth to a
baby boy, but he was taken away and adopted out.
She never saw him again. By the time she was fifteen,
(02:52):
Eileen was back at home, but then her grandmother died
of liver failure almost immediately, and her grandfather kicked her
out of the house. Now Aileen, still fifteen, was homeless,
with no education, no job, no support, and nobody to
turn to. She slept in abandoned cars and in the woods.
She hitchhiked from town to town doing sex work just
(03:15):
to eat. Her childhood was nothing but trauma, and that
made her tougher and meaner, simply as a way of surviving.
Psychologists later diagnosed her with borderline personality disorder and antisocial
personality disorder based on her inability to regulate her emotions,
her rage outbursts, her constant fear of abandonment, and her
(03:38):
black and white thinking. She didn't trust people because people
had never been trustworthy. She didn't believe in safety because
she had never been safe. Aileen slowly realized that the
world was a predator and she was the prey until
she decided to fight back. Got to say, again, none
of this justifies what she did. At least seven men died,
(04:02):
seven lives extinguished, sons, brothers, fathers. But it begs the question,
how does a person become capable of killing so many people?
Aileen's life tells us she was abandoned, molested, beaten, homeless, raped, institutionalized,
ridiculed and forgotten. She slowly cracked and no one noticed
(04:24):
or cared until it was too late. Aileen once said,
I wanted to be loved ever since I was a kid,
just someone who would love me, but it never happened.
Pretty haunting. That's a line from somebody who never had
a chance to be human. She was born into violence,
raised in it, used by it, and ultimately she became it.
(04:46):
Aileen Warnos's childhood was the blueprint for her violence. When
we talk about true crime, we focus so much on
what they did, but sometimes the why is even more
terrifying and a bit more interesting, because honestly, the why
can be traced back to failures in parenting, in protection,
in institutions, and in a society that should have seen
(05:08):
her and helped her. By the time she was in
her early twenties, Aileen had drifted to Florida, moving from
town to town and again supporting herself through sex work.
It was here that she met Tyrea Moore, a maide,
at a motel. They got into a romantic relationship, and
Aileen was smitten. Somebody finally cared for her, and she
(05:29):
was determined to provide for them both. So around the
same time, between nineteen eighty nine and nineteen ninety, the
bodies of seven middle aged men were found scattered along
highways in central Florida. Each had been shot multiple times,
and their cars or trucks, as well as their belongings
were missing. The victims included Richard Mallory, David Spears, Charles Carskadden,
(05:53):
Troy Burris, Dick Humphreys, Peter Siemes, and Walter Antonio. The
investigation kicked into high gear and then really gained momentum
when Aileen and her girlfriend Tyrea were seen abandoning Peter
Seem's carr after an accident. Witnesses gave descriptions and then
fingerprints found on stuff that had been pawned linked Aileen
(06:15):
to the crimes. Eventually, cops found Tyrea in Pennsylvania and
convinced her to get a confession from Aileen in exchange
for immunity. Tyrea made a number of phone calls to Aileen,
pleading with her to confess to clear Tyrea's name. On
January sixteenth, nineteen ninety one, Aileen confess to the murders,
(06:35):
claiming self defense. She claimed that each of these men
had either raped or attempted to rape her while she
was working as a prostitute, and that she killed them
in self defense. On the other hand, the prosecution argued
the murderers were committed during robberies, pointing to the theft
of the victim's belongings and the sale of their stuff
at pawnshops. The trial of Aileen Ornos began on January five, thirteenth,
(07:00):
nineteen ninety two, in Vlusha County, Florida. She was charged
with the first degree murder of Richard Mallory, a fifty
one year old electronics store owner. Although Aileen would eventually
confess to killing the other six men, this was the
only case that actually went to trial. She pleaded guilty
or no contest. In the other cases, The prosecution painted
(07:21):
the picture of a cold blooded killer who murdered her
victims during robberies. They were able to introduce evidence from
her other crimes under Florida's William's Rule, which allowed the
prosecution to establish a pattern, and that crumbled her claim
of self defense. For their part, Aileen's defense team argued
that she suffered from borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder,
(07:45):
which impaired her judgment. They claimed she killed Mallory in
self defense after he violently raped her, but the judge
denied the defense's request to introduce Mallory's prior conviction for
attempted rape as evidence. On January twenty seventh, nineteen ninety two,
the jury found Aileen guilty of first degree murder. Four
(08:06):
days later, she was sentenced to death. Since the murder
was committed during a robbery and it was what they
called especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, Aileen waived her right
to provide more evidence during sentencing. In the months following
her conviction, she pleaded no contest to three of the
other murders, saying she wanted to get right with God.
(08:28):
She later pleaded guilty to two more murders and got
two more death sentences. In the seventh case, no charges
were filed because the body was never found. Aileen Warnos
was executed by lethal injection on October ninth, two thousand
and two, at the age of forty six. Her last
words were a little bit puzzling. I'm sailing with the
(08:48):
rock and I'll be back like Independence Day with Jesus
June sixth, like the movie Big Mothership and all I'll
be back. Her trial and convictions sparked debates of the
treatment of women in the criminal justice system and the
impact of childhood trauma. The life and crimes of Alien
Warnos were later depicted in the two thousand and three
(09:10):
film Monster. Charlie's theren won an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Hope you're enjoying the Backstory with Patty Steele. Please leave
a review and follow or subscribe for free to get
new episodes delivered automatically. Also feel free to DM me
(09:31):
if you have a story you'd like me to cover.
On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty
Steele I'm Patty steel The Backstory is a production of iHeartMedia,
Premier Networks, the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions.
Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We
(09:52):
have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to
reach out to me with comments and even story suggestions
on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at
Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele,
the pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.
Her childhood wasn't hard, it was brutal, and it left
marks that not only didn't fade, they grew. Aileen Carol
Warnos was born on February twenty ninth, nineteen fifty six.
Leap year, leap day. Born literally on a day that
barely exists. That's sort of poetic in a grim way,
because for most of her life she was treated like
(00:21):
she didn't exist either. I'm Patty Steele. Does any of
that excuse her for becoming a prolific serial killer? That's
next on the backstory. We're back with the backstory. There's
no justifying what she did, but it is interesting to
hear her backstory. Aileen Warnos had a rough start in
(00:44):
life and it never got better. Her parents were kids themselves.
Her mom, Diane, was fourteen when she married Aileen's father, Leo,
who was eighteen. The marriage quickly fell apart. Within two years,
Diane was gone, abandoning Aileen, who was just six months old,
as well as her older brother Keith. Her father was
(01:04):
already out of the picture, doing time for the rape
of a child. Aileen never got a chance to meet him.
He hanged himself in prison before she turned fourteen. So
who raised her Her grandparents on her mom's side, Laurie
and Britta. But the word raised is kind of doing
some heavy lifting here. Laurie was a heavy drinking, controlling
(01:25):
guy with a cruel streak. Aileen said. Laurie beat her, regularly,
called her vile names, and emotionally just tore her apart
until she believed she was worthless. And then there's Grandma Britta,
also an alcoholic, she rarely protected Aileen or even bothered
to look up when she was being abused. Aileen later
(01:46):
claimed her grandfather and some of his friends sexually abused her.
The patterns clear. She learned early on that adults were
not to be trusted, that love could hurt, and that
home wasn't safe, and for her, the outside world was
no better. By the time she was just nine years old,
Eileen was trading sex for money, food and cigarettes. Kids
(02:08):
her own age made fun of her, boys used her,
her classmates called her cigarette pig, and adults they simply
ignored her. From the time she was a small girl,
Aileen was already surviving instead of living. This traumatized child
was already adapting to a world where being exploited was
part of the game. Her body was her only bargaining chip. Then,
(02:32):
at fourteen, she got pregnant. The father was a much
older family friend who had raped her. Her grandparents sent
her away to a home for unwed mothers in Detroit,
and in nineteen seventy one she gave birth to a
baby boy, but he was taken away and adopted out.
She never saw him again. By the time she was fifteen,
(02:52):
Eileen was back at home, but then her grandmother died
of liver failure almost immediately, and her grandfather kicked her
out of the house. Now Aileen, still fifteen, was homeless,
with no education, no job, no support, and nobody to
turn to. She slept in abandoned cars and in the woods.
She hitchhiked from town to town doing sex work just
(03:15):
to eat. Her childhood was nothing but trauma, and that
made her tougher and meaner, simply as a way of surviving.
Psychologists later diagnosed her with borderline personality disorder and antisocial
personality disorder based on her inability to regulate her emotions,
her rage outbursts, her constant fear of abandonment, and her
(03:38):
black and white thinking. She didn't trust people because people
had never been trustworthy. She didn't believe in safety because
she had never been safe. Aileen slowly realized that the
world was a predator and she was the prey until
she decided to fight back. Got to say, again, none
of this justifies what she did. At least seven men died,
(04:02):
seven lives extinguished, sons, brothers, fathers. But it begs the question,
how does a person become capable of killing so many people?
Aileen's life tells us she was abandoned, molested, beaten, homeless, raped, institutionalized,
ridiculed and forgotten. She slowly cracked and no one noticed
(04:24):
or cared until it was too late. Aileen once said,
I wanted to be loved ever since I was a kid,
just someone who would love me, but it never happened.
Pretty haunting. That's a line from somebody who never had
a chance to be human. She was born into violence,
raised in it, used by it, and ultimately she became it.
(04:46):
Aileen Warnos's childhood was the blueprint for her violence. When
we talk about true crime, we focus so much on
what they did, but sometimes the why is even more
terrifying and a bit more interesting, because honestly, the why
can be traced back to failures in parenting, in protection,
in institutions, and in a society that should have seen
(05:08):
her and helped her. By the time she was in
her early twenties, Aileen had drifted to Florida, moving from
town to town and again supporting herself through sex work.
It was here that she met Tyrea Moore, a maide,
at a motel. They got into a romantic relationship, and
Aileen was smitten. Somebody finally cared for her, and she
(05:29):
was determined to provide for them both. So around the
same time, between nineteen eighty nine and nineteen ninety, the
bodies of seven middle aged men were found scattered along
highways in central Florida. Each had been shot multiple times,
and their cars or trucks, as well as their belongings
were missing. The victims included Richard Mallory, David Spears, Charles Carskadden,
(05:53):
Troy Burris, Dick Humphreys, Peter Siemes, and Walter Antonio. The
investigation kicked into high gear and then really gained momentum
when Aileen and her girlfriend Tyrea were seen abandoning Peter
Seem's carr after an accident. Witnesses gave descriptions and then
fingerprints found on stuff that had been pawned linked Aileen
(06:15):
to the crimes. Eventually, cops found Tyrea in Pennsylvania and
convinced her to get a confession from Aileen in exchange
for immunity. Tyrea made a number of phone calls to Aileen,
pleading with her to confess to clear Tyrea's name. On
January sixteenth, nineteen ninety one, Aileen confess to the murders,
(06:35):
claiming self defense. She claimed that each of these men
had either raped or attempted to rape her while she
was working as a prostitute, and that she killed them
in self defense. On the other hand, the prosecution argued
the murderers were committed during robberies, pointing to the theft
of the victim's belongings and the sale of their stuff
at pawnshops. The trial of Aileen Ornos began on January five, thirteenth,
(07:00):
nineteen ninety two, in Vlusha County, Florida. She was charged
with the first degree murder of Richard Mallory, a fifty
one year old electronics store owner. Although Aileen would eventually
confess to killing the other six men, this was the
only case that actually went to trial. She pleaded guilty
or no contest. In the other cases, The prosecution painted
(07:21):
the picture of a cold blooded killer who murdered her
victims during robberies. They were able to introduce evidence from
her other crimes under Florida's William's Rule, which allowed the
prosecution to establish a pattern, and that crumbled her claim
of self defense. For their part, Aileen's defense team argued
that she suffered from borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder,
(07:45):
which impaired her judgment. They claimed she killed Mallory in
self defense after he violently raped her, but the judge
denied the defense's request to introduce Mallory's prior conviction for
attempted rape as evidence. On January twenty seventh, nineteen ninety two,
the jury found Aileen guilty of first degree murder. Four
(08:06):
days later, she was sentenced to death. Since the murder
was committed during a robbery and it was what they
called especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, Aileen waived her right
to provide more evidence during sentencing. In the months following
her conviction, she pleaded no contest to three of the
other murders, saying she wanted to get right with God.
(08:28):
She later pleaded guilty to two more murders and got
two more death sentences. In the seventh case, no charges
were filed because the body was never found. Aileen Warnos
was executed by lethal injection on October ninth, two thousand
and two, at the age of forty six. Her last
words were a little bit puzzling. I'm sailing with the
(08:48):
rock and I'll be back like Independence Day with Jesus
June sixth, like the movie Big Mothership and all I'll
be back. Her trial and convictions sparked debates of the
treatment of women in the criminal justice system and the
impact of childhood trauma. The life and crimes of Alien
Warnos were later depicted in the two thousand and three
(09:10):
film Monster. Charlie's theren won an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Hope you're enjoying the Backstory with Patty Steele. Please leave
a review and follow or subscribe for free to get
new episodes delivered automatically. Also feel free to DM me
(09:31):
if you have a story you'd like me to cover.
On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty
Steele I'm Patty steel The Backstory is a production of iHeartMedia,
Premier Networks, the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions.
Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We
(09:52):
have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to
reach out to me with comments and even story suggestions
on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at
Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele,
the pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.
Host
Patty Steele
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